COSSIMBAZAR - THE STAY We had planned for a relaxed and non taxing holiday – and we were rewarded exactly that by the hosts at the Cossimbazar Palace of the ROYS all through our stay. The huge mansion has all the trappings of a colonial palace – tall ceilings, archways, temples, fountains, gardens et al A traditional welcome over, we were guided to our rooms (Rooms 1&2) on the ground floor (a covered palatial courtyard, doubling as the sitting area (period furniture, sparkling chandelier, a tall atrium and a a cute piano giving the area a befitting ambience) separated the 2 rooms. The rooms were reasonably large, the linen spotless, the beds royal and high (there’s a stool that one can use to climb on to the bed), almirah reminding one of the good old days, well made toilet with most trappings, the air con working and good, a fridge in the room, tea- coffee maker and a marble topped centre table and chairs bringing up the rear. We strolled across the palace’s grounds (one witnesses the care and love of the owners in the upkeep of the gardens – full of giant trees that grow well in the region – mangoes, guava, water apple, seasonal vegetables, flowering tree beds (large flowering tress like Nagalingam) – all adorn the huge gardens set amidst a couple of ponds. The front façade resembles the typical British era royalty – triangular frontage, a huge clock tower looking straight up, manicured lawns, a couple of fountains, technology playing its part in changing colours in the evening – all working to make the atmosphere surreal! What enhanced the beauty of the stay was an hour long audio visual presentation by the present owner, Mr Palalbh Roy – the history of Cossimbazar (never knew that this was an international riverine port -the principal reason for the traders to flock the area leading to the massive development of Murshidabad). In Mr Roy’s words – had the port not been there at Cossimbazar, perhaps the history of India would have followed a different path. The artefacts strewn all round the palace are stunning to say the least – well curated collection of over 2 centuries by the ancestors and the British Managers (for some time the estate was administered by the British Royalty) – all spic and span (demonstrating the willingness of the present owners to showcase these in true spirit) – these adorn shelf spaces even in all the resident rooms. Mr Roy was candid and honest to let us know that the title of RAJA was not conferred on the family for keeps, but were given to individuals of the ROY family over time for the service that they had rendered to the society. The palace grounds abound in well kept temples – deities that are worshipped every day by the Pujaris; we were told that all the major deities – Durga, Saraswati, Lakshmi are worshipped with much fanfare annually, besides celebrating Holi, Ratha Yatra and all. Ever evening that we were there, the palace had organized cultural shows – a magician one day, and a performance by the local kid
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